


A Tale of Two Blades

by Fandoms_R_Fun



Series: Contract Crew [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Contract Killers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, killers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-03-29 18:10:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13932492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_R_Fun/pseuds/Fandoms_R_Fun
Summary: The rate of missing people has risen with an effect of uneasiness in the towns across Oregon in recent months, but no one knows what is causing it. Some say ghosts, some say it's just plain lunacy. But three people, they have a different idea...





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Any events or names relating to anything in real life is totally coincidental unless otherwise specified.

**_Drip, Drip, Drip..._ **

_What is she going to do to me? What does she want? I'll do anything, anything she asks...I just want to get out of here..._

"You know, there was once a queen who liked to bathe in blood. I wonder what it must have been like. That deep, crimson pool with a metallic taste and a heavy feel to it. A nice, thick texture. I would love to see what I could do with so much blood..." The voice cooed from the darkness as it's shadow closed in on me. I shiver as I see the knife in her hands, already dripping with my own blood as I lay, unable to move my legs due to the tendons being sliced. The woman looks me up and down, looking as if she is waiting for something to happen and then her hand begins to shake and she holds the bridge of her nose with one hand and takes a few deep shuddering breaths. "You. Stupid. Cunt. I want a  _Challenge_. I WANT A CHALLENGE DAMMIT. I WANT SOMEONE WHO WILL  **FIGHT**! FIGHT YOU STUPID BITCH!" She kicks me a few times and I whimper in pain. "You are fucking pathetic. I was considering even going easy on you. I was going to let you die first, but you've forced my hand, I can't let you be excused from this..." She roughly grabs my arm and starts to slice. She slices a long line down my arms and I scream in pain. "Make all the noise you want, no one will hear you now." She slashes me all over. I begin to feel numb to the pain and after much screaming and prolonged agony, I can feel the cool embrace of death enclosing on me, pulling me away from all the pain and into a blanket of nothingness.

\-----------------------

 _Rosa_ _Phillips. 23. A single woman with a job at the local hospital. No family, graduate of University of Washington with a degree in nursing. These things mean something to someone. But not me. I don't really care what she did, or who she was, or why she was here. But she was in the way. She saw too much. She knows...well, she **knew** too much. But I took care of it. She was an, unfortunate oversight of my dealings here today. I mean no harm to someone if they would just leave me be and not get on my bad side. But to be fair, too many people make that list for me to even care. Now where was I...Ahhh, yes. I was carving something into the back of her hand. Now what was it going to be this time? It's not like I have a universal mark, that would be a little too cliche. I need to change things up here and there. Keep people on their game. I got it..._

I carve "FOALS" into the back of her hand in block letters and sigh, walking away. Taking care to leave no traces.

 _I always did like that song. It seems, somehow appropriate._ _I want to stay longer, to gaze at my creation. My beautiful, beautiful creation, but I know that I'll never be able to stay long after the killing. I already spent my spare time watching my original creation. I want to just stay and watch. I want to see the blood drain from her body and observe the stillness._

"Uuugh, so childish of me..." I step into my car and drive away, making sure that I take the proper back roads and get onto a paved one before starting the trek back to the drop sight. I am supposed to receive a good sum of money for the man I killed. I was supposed to make his death look like a mugging gone wrong. I suppose that I can't always have my fun with every kill. So, I stabbed him in the abdominal area and snaked my way around and "accidentally" cut him too badly. I pick up a few good contracts to knock off people, but I do have some fun with the surrounding population. I always go on a little, fun spree. I enjoy the kill. I also enjoy the hunt. The watching of patterns and the building of a schedule. I can watch someone and by the time I finally get them, I know when they are afraid of me, and I know when they are worried. I can tell if their last moments were really as painful and they want me to believe. Anyhow, I digress.

I am Chloe Price. I am a killer, in both profession and past time. I've just made a kill and I'm going to get paid. The police will never find the bodies. I made sure that there was nothing but some bone when I left, and I even buried that. Now, I will see where my fun times take me...

\------------------------

"So one of the nurses didn't come in for work a few days ago?"

"Yes, her name was Rosa, Rosa Phillips. She has a whole life around this place and she dedicates herself to helping others. It's so unlike her to just, disappear."

"Well Ma'am, because she's been missing for over 24 hours, this is a missing persons incident."

"Will you find her?"

_Why do they always have to ask that?_

"I can't make any promises Ma'am, all I can say is that the department will try to find Rosa."

"Thank you, Officer."

"Don't thank me yet, Ma'am."

I walk out to my cruiser and close the door, placing my head on the steering wheel.

_I used to like being sheriff. Back when the worst thing that would happen is some old lady would report hearing something in her backyard and it would turn out to be a raccoon in her trashcan. Damn, I miss that petty shit..._

"Sheriff David Madson. Ha...if I don't get to the bottom of some of these missing persons cases then I might as well just resign."

I put the car into reverse and begin to drive out of the neighborhood towards my home outside of town.

\-----------------------

I roll up to the agreed meeting place and I walk into the RV, making sure that I have my knife ready at my side if I need it. "Hey Frank. I de-livered the package."

"For goodness sake Chloe, don't tell me you actually cut out his fucking liver."

"Nah dude, I just cut him. I'm a psychopath, not a cannibal. I mean, I can eat a girl, but not that way."

"Oh shut up you perv." He shakes his head and hands me a coke and a suitcase. I open it and check to make sure that all of the money is there.

"I really think that these contracts are doing us good man. I have hella cash now."

"Remember my cut."

I sigh and nod, chucking him two stacks of bills that are wrapped in rubber bands. "I may cut throats, but I don't do it to my friends."

"We're friends and business partners. A dangerous cocktail."

"Well, I would hope that your loyalties lie in the right places."

"You know they do."

"Yeah, I do. Just making sure."

"Well good. Cause I need your 100% for this next one."

I look up from my coke and swallow, sitting straight. "Hit me."

"Okay, so we have to go to a small place called Arcadia Bay. It's a fishing town. There is a rich fucker over there named Shawn Prescott. I need you to get in there and make and example of him. I've been told by our employers that you're allowed full control over the time of death and you have to make this an eyesore. They want everyone to know that Prescott screwed up and payed the price. Pardon the pun."

I chuckle and nod. "Alright then. I guess we're headed off in the morning."

"In the morning? I figured that you'd wanna leave tonight."

"Come ON man! We've been nonstop working for so long. We should enjoy ourselves a little. Play some video games, watch some cartoons, light fucking sprinklers for all I care. I live for the hunt, but I can't over work myself. Besides, they said that I was flexible on time, right?" Frank nods and takes out a beer. "Well, I want some time to study my next target. I need to get a feel for him. So I should probably make sure that I clear my head of my latest target, just to keep my mind from being clouded."

"We both know that you never forget a target. I'm surprised you don't write a book about it."

"I'm not that boastful."

"If you say so." Frank burbs and cracks his neck and back. "Have you ever thought of settling down?"

"Really man? We hunt people for a living. We live out of an RV and rental cars. Are you sure that settling down would ever work? Let alone with me. I'm too screwed in the head to ever find someone who'd love me." He looks like he is about to say something, but he stops himself and nods.

"I guess your right. Any who, wanna play some Call of Duty?"

"Ahh, why the hell not. But you better not cheat again you son of a bitch."

"how about we play on the same team this time."

"Smart choice Bowers, you'll live to see another day."

\---------------------------

I watch as Prescott's henchman walks over to the station house and punches out. I've been waiting for hours and he is finally heading over to his car to leave. I sneak over with the cover of the new moon and wrap the wire around his neck before he can make a sound. I pull it tight and he struggles to breath. I feel him fall limp and I wait another moment. I drop his body to the ground and roll him onto his back. I open up his shirt and take the knife, carving in my message. I then pull out his gun, kneel next to him, and fire at his head. After the bang the dogs begin to bark and I know that security will be here soon. I run to the woods and slip the gun into my waistband, running into the woods as I imagine their faces. They will run out and have a nice look of unease as they see their friends chest and read what I left for them. " _A job for Prescott, is a free ticket to hell_." cheesy, I know. But hey, if it gets the job done. Maxine Caulfield always gets her man, usually in the upper body with a knife, but I can use methods that are more, diverse.

I walk out of the woods and find the bikes that has been parked there for me on the edge of the road. I take it and ride back to my house. I hop off and ditch it in the backyard, making sure to cover it with the old tarp. I go in the back door and lock up for the night, going upstairs to take a shower and head to bed. After I throw on some night clothes, I flop onto the mattress on the floor and pull the comforter to my neck, feeling content with another night of terrorizing the Prescott's on the books and another notch in my belt.

_I wonder if I will ever get any competition. I know that everyone here hates Prescott, but I know that no one else has the balls to do this kind of, dirty work. I'm just doing everyone a favor. It's a shame that they'll never pay me back. But I guess someone has to do that thankless job of keeping their kind in check. The wealthy fuckers who don't deserve anything they have. I don't consider myself the most righteous of the town, but every now and then someone has to sacrifice their soul and fate for the greater good of those around them. And I wouldn't be too upset if someone said I was doing that, Well, time for sleep. Tomorrow, I will continue with my destiny. Hunting Prescott..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	2. When things get rough...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to clear things up here over the font:  
> Italics are Chloe's thoughts, but there are 2 more parts of her mind: Underlined italics are the voice of reason and the bold italics are the disturbed part of her mind. Also, when they talk about "She" they mean Chloe.

The bone crunches as I slam my foot into her knee. I can feel the fear radiating off of her as I trace the knife gently across the skin, so light that it doesn't leave a mark. After a few moments I smile. I push up her tee shirt and makes sure her belly is flat.

_Children is where I draw the line. Never hurt a child. I know that she's not, but just for the sake of my own eases..._

I slide the knife across her belly oh so slowly. I watch as my favorite red liquid oozes out of the flesh. "Do you know why the call me the butcher, Jessica?"

"H-how do you know my name."

"Well," I ignore her question and lean close, breathing hot onto her neck. "It's because what's left is never pretty. But, you look oh so, scrumptious. I would hate to see you in pain." I laugh slightly and move in close to her neck. "That's a lie. I'd love to see you in pain..." I bite her neck until I can taste copper in my mouth and Jessica is whimpering and shaking. "I'll do you a solid. I'll make this quick." I kiss her throat and hold her forehead, kissing her on the lips as I reach my knife around and sever her brain stem with my blade, killing her instantly.

_What a shame. I would have loved to watch her scream for mercy. It's so...arousing when they are in their death throws. Well, I might as well have some fun. No use in letting all this meat go to waste..._

I slowly begin to carve what used to be Jessica into what will be my dinner that night.

\----------------------

I wake up covered in sweat and panting hard. I look around and my eyes sting with tears as I try to find a light. I flick on a lamp and look around. I'm standing in Frank's RV. I walk over to the table and see the contract and the map. I take a deep breath and wipe my forehead.

_I hate her. I hate everything about. I hate how much she's....me. It's like it's another person, that's a twisted version of me. Part of me loves the hunt and the thrill of the kill, and another part of me just wants life to be easy. To just, have someone. At this point I can only ever appease one side of me. And if anyone besides Frank found out which side I indulge...well, that'd be a disaster. But I have to focus. There is a mission at hand. Hell, I even get to be creative..._

I smirk and let my imagination run wild.

_I guess it's time to suppress my "human side" and embrace the monster that I am._

**_Not the monster, the artist. I have many names you know. They all range from morbid and gruesome, to something that conveys my...finesse._ **

_Of course I know this. We are the same person, dipshit. The difference is that..._

**_THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT YOU'RE WEAK! You fail to accept what we are. You and me both. We are a hunter! We take pride in our catch and we enjoy the thrill of it._ **

_You enjoy the thrill. I'm just here for the ride while you take me around and glorify the fucked up things you do and what you are. It really disgus_ _ts_ _me..._

**_Yet you still go along for the ride. Another thing that you can't really deny is that even if I wasn't here with you, she would be killing. The only difference is that I let her enjoy it._ **

_You do, but you're also a sick bastard. She would have never done those things with Jessica or any of the others if I had a say in things. And deep down, She is more me than she is you. You're just the parasite that she has to live with._

**_Well she enjoys herself when I'm in control. Now is not the time for discussion. We have work to do and that requires our..."co-operation"._ **

_Sadly you're right. Now let's get this over with..._

**_Yes, let's..._ **

_both of you shut up and work with me here..._

I walk over to the plan sit down next to the plans and shake my head for my mind to clear. I read the information on the paper as follows:

Target: Sean Presscott.

[Picture marked "Sean" is printed onto the contract]

Method of Execution: Flexible, but obvious.

Additional information: The target is allowed to roam free for most of the time, but arrives at the Presscott mansion during the summer nights and weekends while returning to his country house during the week. The Presscott mansion is heavily guarded, but it is advised that his death occur nearby so as to make it easy for him to be found. Finally, "the butcher" must meet with another asset of ours known as "the photographer".

_WHAT?! They've never made me work with anyone before. I've always done what the employers have asked but this is bullshit!_

**_It's because SOMEONE is has been holding us back. If they would know their place..._ **

_I do know my place. It's to keep her from falling down your rabbit hole so far that she can't get out again..._

_Why the fuck can't I just go one fucking day without hearing you two bicker. As much as I hate ONE of you (guess who).._

_ haha...  
_

_I need both of you to be what they want from me. So you two need to play nice or fucking can it._

the following inner silence is enough for me. I take a deep breath and decide to rattle Frank's cage. I walk over and bang on his door. "Yo, old man! Wakey Wakey the fuck up! I got a bone to pick with you!" I hear grumbling and after a few moments Frank opens the door and he walks to the front, grabbing a water and buckling in. He starts to drive and once we get down the road a little bit I open up on him. "What the hell is this about me meeting someone?"

"Oh, that. I figured you'd see that eventually." He takes a deep breath and sighs. "You will have a partner on this little venture. Her name is Max. I've worked with her before. She's a professional. You are to study the target and take care of business when the time comes. She is there to observe, make sure that things go down the way they want them to, and to make sure that you get the message across. They don't want the cops to chalk it up to an accident or an animal mauling. They want everyone under the heavens to know that we did this because he fucked up."

"I've never needed to babysit anyone before and I've taken on much bigger targets than this."

"Which is what I told Dave when he game me the contract. All he would tell me is that Max had her reasons and that she was the best person to put on this case. They seemed to think that you two would make a great team."

"And why would they think that?"

"Because you two are opposites. You are a passionate and violent operator, while Max is cold and collected. You watch with joy as Rome burns while you walk away with the torch. Max is cool and calculated. She goes in, gets the job done, and she does it in the most efficient way that she can. Where you could make someone look like the inside of a chicken nugget, Max would prefer to kill someone with a poison dart or a swift stab."

I sigh and crack my neck, finally buckling up and closing my eyes. "If I have to babysit her, I'm sending her back for you to deal with."

"You two are equally matched, it's just a matter of ideology and methods."

"Then why assign both of us?"

"Why don't you ask her?!" Frank's voice is filled with exasperation as he puts on his blinker and pulls over. He unbuckles and opens up the RV door. He sits back down and a moment later, a woman walks in.

"Franklin." She talks with a voice that is cold, devoid of all emotion. It sends a small chill down my spine as I study her closely. She is dressed like a hipster and she carries a messenger bag. She wears a ball cap and sunglasses as well as jeans and a hoodie.

"Max. Long time no see. I missed ya."

"I missed you too Frank." The ghost of a smile appears on her face as she closes the door and takes a seat.

"Well, Max, this is Chloe. Chloe, Max."

"I've heard a lot about you. You're like the boogyman of our kind..."

I cock my head to the side and look her over, studying her movements and analyzing her voice. It's polite enough, but it's missing...life.

"Max, are you okay?" Frank interjects from the front, having started down the road again.

Max looks at the floor next to her. Her eyes staring off into space. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will be, you always are. I'm asking about here and now."

"No." Her answer is short, but it is full of answers to questions that hadn't even been asked. She is angry, hurt, sad, and most of all...empty.

"Why."

"She's dead, Frank. The last assignment, took her out...." Max's voice finally cracks into something alive, and it is seeped in pain and possibly regret.

"She wasn't able to give off the siginal. So I didn't get to her in time. I eventually checked in on her and found her body. The target was near by so I..." There was a silence for a moment. I could feel the air thicken as Max's face twisted with anger and then became neutral again as a single tear fell from her eye. "...I got even."

"And then some?" I finally speak up for the first time, surprised at how neutral my voice sounds.

"And then some." Max nods once for conformation and then reaches behind her. She pulls out a knife and stares at it for a moment. "She left you a few possessions that she knew you'd want and left the rest to me."

An uneasy silence passes and Frank clears his throat. "Okay. I'll get them later." I can hear him sniffle. "Are they going to bury her?"

"No. To public knowledge, Rachel Amber died during a house fire at an abandoned factory. nothing was recovered because the place was nothing but ashes."

"Oh..." Frank's voice is full of the pain he must be feeling. Rachel was his girlfriend of several years. They were really close. He used to handle her contracts until it was learned that they'd fallen for each other. Then she was transferred to someone else and they were able to continue dating. Frank must be absolutely crushed.

\----------------------------------------

About half an hour later, Frank pulls over again and we go to the door. "Do you two have your contracts on you?"

"No, I have everything memorized." I look at Max and nod approvingly.

_Ahh, so my "equal" memorizes them too. Nice to know._

Frank looks at me and I nod "You know I always memorize mine too."

Frank shrugs and clears his throat. "So Max, if you don't mind me asking. Why are you on this case?"

"Because it was Nathan's man who killed Rachel, on his orders." Frank's face twists with anger and he turns away, his hands clutched so tight that his knuckles turn white and I can see a small amount of blood leaking from his fist. "We'll make them suffer."

"For her, not me. For her..."

Max pats him on the shoulder and we walk out onto the side of the road. We enter the woods and Max motions for me to follow. I follow her path for about half an hour, internalizing what I'd just learned. "Who's Nathan?"

"Your target's son. I was able to call in favors and get put on this contract with you under the pretense that I'm your protege. You are legendary and I played up the aspiring fan girl bit to my superiors to get here."

_I have fans huh? Well, that's news to me..._

"So are you really a fan girl?"

I raise an eyebrow and she stops and turns to face me. "Look, you are someone that I look up to and I have admired for a long time. But just because I idolize you doesn't mean you get to control or use me. We're here to complete our task. Anything that happens in our free time or after this is finished we can settle between us, but during hours we're business. Okay? No favors or special treatments." She looks around and keeps walking, checking her watch as I follow behind her.

_Idolize? Well now I could use that to my advantage..._

_She knows that she's already said a little more than she should have. She knows that most people would try to. Don't. She's being a professional. And don't hit on her._

_You're being ridiculous._

_No, you are. I'm a construct of your own mind Chloe, don't pretend like you can hide from me the fact that you had it for her since she walked in the door. And you didn't want to hurt her. You wanted her for her. Not as something to play with or harm. You want to be her friend Chloe, we both know it. Who knows, she might even want more...._

_No, she'd never want me. Not someone like me..._

_You forget, she's like you..._

We come out of the woods and walk into a backyard. Max knocks on the door and we walk in. Max closes the door behind us and we stand in a kitchen. "Now where have you been young lady?"

"Sorry Grandma, I was out with my friend Chloe."

I look at her and she looks back shooting me a look and I sigh. "so you two are 'friends', huh?" The old woman raises an eyebrow at me and I feel myself tense up.

"Okay, okay. You got me. She's my girlfriend." She looks at me with a smile and hugs me with one arm.

"She doesn't really seem your style, Maxine." Max chuckles and turns my head towards her, moving up onto her tiptoes and kissing me. I play along, impressed with her acting on her toes so well. At least I think that she's just acting until I can feel her tongue rub against mine.

_Damn, she's a good kisser..._

"Okay okay, I get it. Get a room you two." The old woman chuckles and walks out of the room. "Good night, Maxine."

"Good night Grandma." Max leads me up to her room and we duck inside. She closes and locks the door and turns on a lamp, lighting up the plain room before me. There a mattress in the corner with covers on it and there is a bookshelf against the adjacent wall. At the end of the bed and underneath it are locked chests. There is a simple night table next to the bed with a couple bottles of water. There is also a chair on the other side of the table. Max takes off her hoodie and jeans, throwing them on the chair followed by her short sleeved tee shirt. I stand there and watch, swallowing the growing lump in my throat. "Well come on. We need some sleep and it needs to be convincing. Besides, I don't take up much room and the place is already drafty. You'll want a little extra body heat." I slowly nod and strip down, laying against the wall as she lays next to me. She lays facing me and begins to run her arms along my side.

"Hey, if you're gonna feel me up, you need to buy me dinner first."

"I'm not 'feeling you up'. I'm checking you for weapons." She smiles when she feels the knife attached to my underwear. "like this here." She places it on the night table, looking back at me and checking my bra and the legs of my underwear. "I'm working with my idol, but that doesn't make me a fool to what our profession is. I've read your file." Her voice looses it's chipper tone, but retains it's warmth. "I know what you do and how you do it. It's fascinating really...anyhow, if Frank trusts you, I do too. But I still don't want weapons in the bed. That could end badly. I roll around in my sleep you see."

I nod.

_Is this really happening? I mean, I hated her guts before I knew her, then she melted my resolve. Now we're getting along and chatting like friends. I mean, she kissed me and we're laying in bed together. But that's all part of the act, right?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUICK RECAP:  
> Italics are Chloe's thoughts: Underlined is the voice of reason and the bold is the disturbed part of her mind. Also, when they talk about "She" they mean Chloe. (this will be the system for future chapters unless people let me know that it's too hard to follow or give me a better way to do it.)
> 
> Thank you for tuning in to this. Until next time, read on.


	3. We must stick together...

My eyes fly open and I try to sit up, but I am weighed down. I look over and I see Max clinging to me. I take some deep breaths and smile to myself, laying still and relaxing. I watch her as she sleeps. Her hair has moved around a bit and her lips are parted ever so slightly. Her face is so relaxed and innocent that I am at a loss for what to do. I reach over and gently move some of her hair behind her ear. I rest my hand on her cheek and smile.

_She looks so innocent. She's wrapped around me and she is totally vulnerable. She's so...cute. She's hot, but when she's like this she has a "little Kitten" quality to her. For the first time in my life I see someone that I care about besides Frank. Not someone I want to hurt, not someone I want to see in pain. Someone I want to protect and love..._

_**But Remember Jessica, and the others...Remember their screams. How you enjoyed their pain and misery. You live to hurt, you live to kill, you live to cause pain...** _

_No, that's not you. You care about Frank. You wouldn't hurt him. You may harm others but it's your job. Only the darkest part of you gains any pleasure from it..._

**_BUT I AM STILL HERE! I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE! If you so much as kiss her again you know that I will come back full force and you will carve her into a million little pieces!_ **

_No, you can control yourself._

_But what if my self-control fails? What if I bring harm to her? I think I'm falling for her... I have never been able to get close to anyone like this. Frank if my buddy, but we're just buddies. This is, different..._

After a little while, I see Max begin to stir. Her eyes flutter open and they widen when she sees me staring back at her. I slowly take my hand off of her cheek and she smiles slightly. I pull her closer and put my knee down, shifting myself so that I am over her. "It's dangerous to associate yourself with me."

"I know." Her voice is distant and she looks me up and down. I reach over on the night table and take my knife, holding it to her throat.

"You know what I am, you know what I do. I live to kill and I'm damn good at it." I lean in close and see her wide eyed stare. "I could rip you apart right now and laugh as I watch you bleed to death under me..." I can feel her warm breath on my neck and I close my eyes to savor the feeling.

I feel her push my arm up a little and she swallows audibly. "I only ask that you complete the mission. Anything else you do is up to you..." I feel the air knocked out of me at her words. I begin to pull the knife away when she grabs my wrist. "please..."

"Are you saying you want me to kill you...?"

"If anyone is going to take me out, I want it to be you..." She looks down and closes her eyes, a single tear leaking out "But if it's too much, I can end it myself when this contract is over..."

I put the knife down and my body takes over before I know what I'm doing. I lower myself and hold onto her wrists, kissing her. I feel her relax and sigh into my mouth. She kisses back with a need that I could feel. We kiss until our lungs burn and she runs her hands through my hair. When we come up for air I can feel some tears fall onto her cheeks and I begin to sob silently. I feel a hand gently wipe my cheek and I lean into it. My arm crumples under me and I fall onto my side. Max pulls me into her chest and I cling to her, sobbing into her. Max rubs my back and kisses my head while I take solace in her presence. After a few minutes I clear my throat and move up to lay face to face with her. "Can I trust you...?"

Max looks at me and nods slowly. "With anything..."

I can tell she's telling the truth and so I take a deep breath. "I used to be a different person. I never used to take joy in the kill. It was just something that I had to do because I was always hungry. I lived on the streets and I...used to be a cannibal." I close my eyes as tight as I can and begin to shake gently. "After I started to do it a lot, I developed a sick joy in killing. I started to become more passionate with it and I grew a love for it. I hate how I can be sometimes. But it's a part of me." I look back at her and she is listening to me intently. "I'm falling for you, Max. And it'd only be dangerous for you to stay in my life."

I look down and close my eyes. I feel Max take my hands and place it on her chest, over her heart. I feel it's constant beat, the rhythm of life. "Why did you kiss me...?"

"Because I don't want you to go. You're the first person that I've cared about in years..."

Max smiles and kisses my forehead. "I'm not going anywhere without you..."

"What about your next contract?"

"I have a few contracts lined up, and then I'm going on ice for a while. My boss told me that I could get my hands dirty and then I'd get to slip off to the easy stuff to lull me into retirement. I get to be a desk jockie, cook some books, run a bit of illegal gambling. That sort of thing. Or, if I really like the dirty stuff, I could choose someone new to work with." Her smile fades and her voice looses it's life. "I've been working with Rachel so long that I doubt I'll want to do this much longer."

"Well, I just....don't think I can loose you..."

"We met yesterday. We haven't even started our work..."

"But I care about you. You mean something to me that I haven't felt in a very long time. I haven't been able to care about someone the way I care about you. I haven't known you for long, but I still care about you. We can keep things casual if you want, but I just want to be around you..."

"That's not an option."

My smile fades and I can feel myself closing away from everything. "Why? What did I do...?"

"Nothing. But I can't be just casual with you." She places my hand on her waist and snuggles up to me. "But I never said we couldn't be close."

"O-okay." I hesitate for a moment and then hold her. "What does this make us...?"

"Whatever you want it to make us."

"That's a lot of power..."

"I trust you."

_She trusts me? Someone who does horrible things on a daily basis? Someone who held a knife to her throat?_

_She wanted to die and you were presenting the opportunity. Besides, you're her idol and she has the same occupation as you. Both of you do bad things on a daily basis. The only difference is that you have good old crazy trying to make you go off the reservation and start a genocide._

**_Don't pretend like it wouldn't be fun! All that blood....and flesh...and screaming..._ **

_Oh shut up...but thanks to the one who pointed out the...positives._

_Don't thank me! It's my job. Besides, I'm you. So you're thanking yourself._

**_Fucking prude..._ **

_Imma just get back to reality. Peace out._

_See ya later_

**_EAT HER LIKE A WATERMELON!_ **

I smile and shake my head. "You're nuts."

"And you're my hero." And with that, we fall asleep in each other's arms.

\-------------------------------

A few hours later, we both wake up. After some making out, we get dressed and go downstairs. We grab some granola bars and sneak out the back door. We hike up to the hills and take up a position watching the Prescott household. We watch as Nathan and Sean go from their house to the car and are driven off to the town. We ride out bikes into town and take turns following them from street to street. Eventually Sean gets out and walks to a side house that he has while Nathan stays in the car. We watch and wait for him to leave.

"What do you think he's doing?" Max hands me the binoculars and we look through the window.

"I don't know. It's a pretty small house and there isn't anything around here. There could be a tunnel that goes somewhere, but unless it leads to somewhere in the middle of the woods it would have to be miles long. I don't really see him as the active wealthy type. He's someone who has lots of money and isn't afraid to show it, why would he get driven to a house in a limo, to just walk like, 5 miles to go somewhere."

"I don't know. Should we rush in?"

"Do you think we should?"

"No, I think that we should stay here and wait until he comes out. If he doesn't show by tomorrow, we should try and circle back to his place."

"Okay." Max sighs and takes out a granola bar. I'm leaning against a tree and she sits next to me. She leans against me and holds up the granola bar. I take a bite and smile at her, going back to watching the house.

_This is going far better than I thought it would._

"You know, I hated you when I first learned about you."

"Really...?" Max's voice is quieter than normal, even for a steak out. It is also the voice of someone who's hurt.

"Yeah. I was insulted that I was going to be stuck baby sitting someone. Even Frank was a little confused why you were here. But, he told me that we were equals, just that our approaches and methods are opposite of each others."

"Yeah."

I look over at her and place my finger on her chin, getting her to look at me. "He said that we'd make a great team. I would have to agree with him." I smile and she blushes slightly, smiling back at me. I boop her nose with mine and then blink a few times, looking to the house again.

"Let me watch, we should take this in shifts. It may be all day here and I don't want us to miss something."

"Okay." I nod and put down my binoculars, leaning my head against the tree and closing my eyes. I feel Max thread her fingers together with mine. I smirk and let sleep take me.

\----------------------------------

I am laying in bed with Max, her eyes are open wide and she is sweating. The beads of sweat are glistening off of her in the light of the lamp. She looks at me with a hunger that I don't understand. I lean in and whisper into her neck, "I'm going to kill you."

She grips my hair and takes a shuddering breath, "Please do it. I want to die..."

I lean in and bite her throat. I sink my teeth in deeper and deeper and I hear her breath become more labored. I taste blood as she claws my back and I feel the squirming stop. I move back and look at her.

_Max...?_

**_Look at her..._ **

_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??!!!_

**_...so beautiful..._ **

_...She was the only one who ever cared about you..._

**_...even more beautiful than when she was alive..._ **

_...and now you've made her..._

**_...a master piece..._ **

_...just like the others. Mangled and lifeless..._

**_...you love it..._ **

_...you hate it..._

_What did I do...?_

"Chloe?" I blink and look at her again. There is still blood all over her neck, but she is speaking. "Chloe? Chloe!" The world begins to shake as I cry and feel everything come crashing down.

\-------------------

The shaking continues and I open my eyes. Max is staring at me in concern. My face is wet and I am shaking. "W-what's going on?"

"I felt you shaking and I looked over and you were crying. I don't know what happened in your dream but it must have fucked you up..."

_Oh Max, you have no idea..._

"You could say that." I sniffle. "Sit in my lap..."

"Chloe, we're on duty..."

"And I'm hella cold here. Sit in my lap and watch. Besides, you'll get a little boost."

"Sure." Max sits in my lap, shifting until she is comfortable. She leans back into my chest and I wrap my arms around her waist. I rest my chin on her shoulder, Closing my eyes but making sure that I don't nod off again. "Will you tell me what it was about?"

"Max, are you sure now is the time...?"

"Yes Chloe," She interrupts me, knowing very well where I was going. "We can't be swapping spit right now but all I'm doing is staring at a building like I have been for hours. I could use with a little conversation. Plus it obviously disturbed you. Whatever we are, I think that it is obvious that I care about you and I want to know what is bothering you..."

"Okay. Welp. it was this morning again. I was holding myself over you and I said I was going to kill you. You asked me to and I bit your throat until you choked to death. Then I had an inner monologue split between how I had made you a beautiful creation, and how I was a monster for destroying the only thing that I truly loved...."

I feel one of Max's hand over mine on her stomach. "I trust you, Chloe. But, I won't let you kill me. Part of me still wants to die." I wince and hold her closer, taking a deep breath and waiting for her to continue. "But I won't let something happen to me. Unless you decide you want me gone and you try over and over again in the course of a day without saying anything about wanting me to live."

"I want you to live." I kiss her cheek. "It was just a dream though. I wouldn't hurt you..."

"I know."

"How?"

"Because of this morning..."

I nod and kiss her cheek. She giggles quietly, looking through the binoculars. "Did I ever mention that you're cure as hell?"

"No, Chlo. You never mentioned that."

"'Chlo?"

"Heh, yeah. I have a thing for nicknames..."

"Well, that's nice to know. So should I be afraid if you don't use my nickname?"

"Well, maybe. It depends on the situation."

"True." I look at the house for a moment. It is desolate and devoid of all movement. "Damn, he's pretty freakin' mellow today. You think he's even still in that house?"

"Yeah. I just think that he's busy doing other stuff."

"What kinds of other stuff?"

"Well, knowing the subjects psychological well being, I'd assume that he's either thinking about his money, or he has invited over a prostitute or two and he's waiting for them."

"How do you know his psychological well being?"

"I may or may not have dressed up like a psychologist and sat down while he came into the room and told me his problems. I never  _said_ that I was a shrink, but I never said otherwise..."

"Ooooh. Cleaver girl." I smirk as she shifts to give me a sideways glare.

"What, I'm a raptor now?"

"From Jarassic Park, the guy sees the raptor before he gets eaten and they've snuck up on him and he says 'clever girl' and gets mauled."

"I never knew you watched Jurassic Park." Max goes back to watching the house as I laugh.

"Are you kidding me? Everyone did when I was growing up."

"How fucking old are you?"

"19"

"Okay. I was gonna say 'when I was growing up' is more of an old people phrase." Max chides me.

"Is not"

"Is too"

We go back and fourth for a few more minutes until we see a light turn on at the house. We immediately become quiet and Max moves off me. Despite my body and heart being disappointed, I know that we need to be ready for action. We see him come to the door and look out across his yard. Because it is getting dark, he can't see us and we decide to wait in the shadows. About 10 minutes later we hear a car roll up and he walks out, sitting in the car and letting it drive off. We follow it back to his house and it disappears inside. We can see Nathan talking to the gardener, following his father into the house. We are both beat and wanting to get warm, so we head back to Max's. We walk inside and are greeted by the old woman. "Why hello ladies. Nice to see that you two have been out again. The date go good?"

I let my mind race for a moment and answer before Max can. "Yeah. Max brought me out for a pick nick and we just had to watch the sunset..." Max shoots me a smile with a little bit of a surprised look.

The old woman nods and turns to the stove. "The sunset is so beautiful. I miss watching it with Max's grandpa..." The atmosphere becomes sad for a moment and then Max clears her throat.

"So Grandma, are you making some homemade jam?"

"No sweetie, I'm making some pasta. You two are welcome to sit down and eat some if you want."

We both nod enthusiastically and sit down with plates of spaghetti and meatballs. We eat our food in a calm silence and Max's grandmother looks at me when we're all almost done. "It's nice to know that my granddaughter has found someone to make her happy. We've been trying to get her to have a friend over or do something with others, but she's just not interested." She takes a sip of her drink while Max nods sadly. "It's a pitiful thing, you know?"

"Yes. Well, I'm here for her and I do intend to be here for a while."

"Only a while...?" Max pipes up almost inaudibly.

"Until my welcome runs out, Max."

"Well I hope you have a long amount of time on your hands."

"I believe that I do..."

after dinner we excuse ourselves and head back to Max's room. We close the door and I immediately pull her against me, kissing her with all of my energy and passion that I can muster (which is a lot). After a moment, Max breaks the kiss. "You know, I do have to shower."

"Okay."

"I wouldn't mind a little company." Max winks at me and then drops her pants, resting her hands on my waist and slowly pushing my shirt up. I help her push it off me and I chuckle.

"I'll be there." We each strip and walk to the bathroom. I close and lock the door while Max sets aside some towels. She turns on the water and we hop in. The glass door is shut and we are forced together. I stand behind her and Hold her, running my hands along her sides and waste while I kiss her neck. He hands find my hips and she scratches them a gently while I bite her neck. When I first do it, she tenses up, but when I try to pull away she objects.

"Bite my neck. I can take it." After a moment's wait, she tilts her head and I can't help but bite on it and start giving her hickies. She gives in and relaxes into me and the water slowly flows over us. We eventually wash up and then get out to dry off. We go to her room and she locks the door. We drop our towels and lay down, covering up and embracing each other.

Max rolls me onto my back and runs her hand from my right shoulder, across my breast, and down to my side and back again, gently scratching me with her nails. "I love contact. Especially the gentle passionate stuff."

"Then you'll love me..." I lace my fingers into her hair and pull it back, exposing her throat. "May I?"

_If I'm going to be with her, I have to get over my fear of hurting her. No matter how thing go between us, I need us to both feel safe..._

"No blood. A turtle neck can only hide so much." I nod and pull her down, biting her throat and feeling her squirm in my arms. I bite gently and wait for any negative reactions from her. She relaxes and I can hear her mutter an airy "fuck" between breaths.

"If you insist..." I roll her onto her back and disapear beneath the sheets.

\------------------------------------

After we've calmed down and cooled down, we lay in each other's arms, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed. "Chloe?"

"Yes, love?"

She chuckles lightly and takes a deep breath. "What are we?"

"What ever you want us to be Max."

"Will you go out with me?"

I freeze and swallow hard. "That's a big commitment you know. We're both in a literal cloak and dagger business. We both need to keep almost everything a secret from everyone else. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"As long as I can share things with you and we can be open, than I'm fine with it. I've always figured that I would never have a significant other that I could talk to about such things, so if we could talk it'd be a bonus."

"Okay, yes. I'd love to go our with you. I have only one question."

"Yes?"

"What's your last name?"

"Caulfield."

"Nice. Mine is Price"

"Okay miss Price. I'm glad that we could reach an agreement about our relationship."

"Me too miss Caulfield. Me too..."

I hear her snore first, but I know that not long after I will join her, in dream land. And I have a feeling that tonight's dreams, will be a bit less menacing. They might even end up being happy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this when I meant to save it, so for those of you who already saw that I updated this and tried to read this chapter several hours ago, sorry about that. 
> 
> Also, I know this originally had a slow burn tag on it, but I had to scrap that. My heart couldn't take the suspense.
> 
> ANYWAYS! I hope that you enjoyed. Let me know in the comments if there are any errors or if I wrote something that doesn't make much sense. Thank you all for reading and until next time, read on.


	4. Shifting perspectives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay, computer crashed. I will try to update whenever I can. In a few months I can get a new PC and get back to a schedule. Until then, please bear with my and my irregular uploads.

"Sherriff Madsen." I turn around to see my deputy, Alfred Albertson.

"Hey Al. What's the word."

"Well boss, I know you're not going to like this, but there is a missing person."

"Well, surprising. It's not like we've had a missing person before." As I sigh and run my hands through my hair, I turn to look at the whiteboard with all the missing persons on it. We have a list of the people who have gone missing over the last few years. We have their pictures with their name underneath. We have their ages, occupations, and hobbies all listed as well. There are a few connecting factors between some of them, but not all of them. A majority of them are people who are from here, but there are a fair share of people who were last seen in the general area of the town. A majority of them are rich and/or influential, but many of them are also just people with various careers with varying backgrounds.

"I know boss." I sit down and put my head in my hands. Alfred sits next to me and I sigh, looking back at him. "You know boss, I think that we might have two options on our hands."

"A serial killer or a hit man..."

"Well, those are options. I was going to say serial killer or serial abductor." Alfred rubs his stubble and gives me a suspicious look. "Why hit man?"

"Well," I get up and point at the board as I speak. "These people, here here and here. They're all influential businessmen who disappeared and then something big happened to their company. Either they took a deal or left a deal, one executive form a company suddenly didn't want to give his testimony in a trial. It seems like there is someone behind the scenes that might be trying to make a point here. It could be a mob thug or someone with better training than that."

"But what about the other disappearances?"

"Well those are a bit harder. There might be another person involved, which would explain the different target MO's, but they disappear at similar or the same time as the important people. What I think is that it could be someone who takes out the big players, and then anyone else that disappears could either be collateral damage (assuming that they don't want to leave any witnesses) or it could be someone trying to throw us off. If it was only businessmen it would key us in on what they are doing."

Alfred nods and sighs. "it could just be someone who is trying to play with us. They take joy from killing so they could very well be a hit man but they could be terrorizing us out of more than business."

"That's a little bit of a longshot."

"I know boss, but maybe it could be true. If you wanted to kill people, if it gave you a kind of high, then being a hit man would be a great job. Not only that, but you could just take anyone else out and justify it as collateral damage. It makes sense."

"A little too much sense..." I look at him with suspicion.

"David, come on man. You know me. We've been friends since elementary school. We went to the police academy together. We go to our kids birthday parties for goodness sake. I'm just trying to think like a killer. Sometimes you have to think like them to catch them."

"You learn that in psych class or have you been watching more Criminal Minds than normal?" I smile and he chuckles, shaking his head.

"Just trying to do a good job boss."

"Well make sure that you don't try too hard to do a good job in thinking like a criminal. You might get one of those nutty cops that thinks anyone who doesn't think about doughnuts and coffee is up to something."

"Hey now, don't make me break out the Irish stereo types."

"Ye wouldn't dare, laddie!" I crack up at my failed attempt at an Irish accent and take a sip from my coffee. "You know, Al. I think I could use a break. I'm having a cook out with Joyce and the kids after work. You wanna bring the wife and kids over, have a few beers?"

"Sure thing. In the mean time..." Alfred gets up and looks at his watch. "We have a few hours to burn on this case."

"Yeah." I sigh and crack my neck, looking at the board.

Suddenly the radio crackles to life. "I need a unit at 5th street, Mrs. Jemison called us about noises in her backyard, over."

I pick up the radio and answer. "Charlie 15 responding over." I look over at Alfred and sigh. "Well, I guess it's back to chasing away raccoons."

"What a relief."

\--------------

I feel a hand on my shoulder and then there is a soft shaking. "G'morning." I sit up and blink a few times, looking at the clock. 4:30 Am.

_Okay, I know that we would have to leave early, but this is still going to suck._

"Come on, Chloe. We need to figure out our next move and then get moving."

"Can't I sleep in baby?"

"Hey!" My eyes open wide at the sternness in her voice. "We're on the clock, Price. Get up. Now."

"Yessir." I get up and throw on my clothes, yawning and rubbing my eyes.

_ You heard her, tis time for some work. You need to figure out what to do next _

"We need to figure out our next move." Max talks at me as she waits for me to get dressed."

_**What is next is simple, we go turn Sean Presscott into a human pasta dish and dump him on his front lawn...** _

_I don't think that would be wise. We need to make sure that we are discreet about things. We need_ _to..._

_**We need to make it obvious, it even says so in the contract.** _

_Yes, but we don't want to get caught. We need some time to be able to sneak away. We're a contract killer, not Rambo._

**_You have no sense of adventure, if we just play it safe there is no fun to be had._ **

_Well that's cause we're trying to be professional,_

"Would you just shut up! I know what I'm doing."

Max glares at me and crosses her arms. "Well excuse me miss queen of killing, I figured that we should at least try and work together here..."

"I wasn't talking to you Max."

"Well then who were you talking to?"

I sigh and look at the floor. "The voices in my head."

"Oh..." I head foot steps and then I am pulled into a hug.

"I thought we were on the clock."

"We are Chloe, but that doesn't mean we have to be heartless." She sighs and kisses my cheek. "Just try and keep it some what professional, okay? When we're working our relationship needs to be out of the equation."

"Works for me." I smile and walk over to the door, putting on my shoes and stretching. "So what's the plan Mad Max."

Max raises an eyebrow at me and smiles. "Well, apparently I'm not the only one who does nicknames. Well, I was thinking, we need to attack Sean when he's vulnerable. Why don't we wait until he goes back to the house. He was there for most of the day last time and the driver came right up to the house and was obviously waiting for him. If we snuck in when he was alone, we could do the deed and then sneak away without being seen."

"Still, in the theme of keeping things professional, we need to resist speaking while we're there and if we have to we don't use names. We also need to cover our faces and wear some kind of clothing that we can easily dispose of that won't attract any kind of attention towards who we are if there are cameras (which there probably will be knowing how rich the guy is)."

"Good point." Max nods and looks at me. "You know, I've never expected things to go so well. I mean, I've been around here, tormenting the Prescotts for a while, but there haven't been any kinds of incidents beyond gaining a partner."

"In more than one sense of the word." I kiss her forehead and hear her sigh happily. "Alright miss professional, knock on wood and lets get going."

"I never knew you were superstitious."

"I'm not, I've just learned that it's a poor choice to tempt fate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had about a page worth of writing done and then the web page crashed while I was trying to save it, forcing me to re-write the first part of the story...  
> I miss my Laptop...


	5. In our buissness, one mistake....

_It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but what about bad intentions for selfish reasons? No one ever mentioned those..._

Slowly, the house comes into view as I stalk through the woods, Max walking a few feet to my right and a foot or so behind me. We move at a steady rate, but with care. When we reach the crest of the hill, we put on our masks and I nod to the leaves. We move back and I cover myself in twigs and leaves, looking at Max as she does the same. After we're done, we lay there in silence, watching the house and waiting for the car to come by. After about an hour I could hear movement next to me. I looked over to she Max shivering. I reached over and poked her shoulder.

I spoke in a whisper that was barely audible. "Come over here and share some heat." She shakes her head and shivers more.

"P-professional..."

"You'll be a professional icicle if your shivering is anything to go by. Besides, you might give us away if you get much louder." Max glares at me but moves over and nuzzles into my chest. I wrap my arms around her and whisper in her ear. "Just because you're cold to your targets doesn't mean you have to literally freeze Max." I hear a small, airy chuckle. I move the leaves around a little to keep us covered, watching the house.

Soon the car comes to the driveway and Sean Prescott gets out, heading inside. I shake Max gently and she wakes up I nod towards the house and her eyes get wide. She looks and I slowly get up to a crouched position behind the nearby tree. She begins to walk down the hill towards the side of the house, looking from right to left over and over again. I follow several yards behind her. When we reach the house, I peak in through the window, seeing him sitting in a recliner, busy watching TV. I point at Max and then at my eyes, then pointing at the woods. She nods and I pull out her lock picking tools, getting into the door. I open it ever so slowly and then move in, slowly closing it behind me. The TV is turned up quite high and I can't even hear the door close being next to it. I take out my knife stalk into the living room. He is asleep, his breathing even and his mouth left open, probably snoring.

_Well this is going to be easier than I thought._

**_Easy isn't fun. We both know you always crave a challenge..._ **

_This isn't for fun, this is business. Buisness that the girl you love is helping you complete. This is what it's all lead up to. Do it, before you're luck_ _changes_

_You don't have to ask twice..._

I make short work of Sean Prescott. What is left makes me both sick to my stomach and satisfied, like an artist who has just painted a masterpiece.

_**Well, well, it looks like she had a little fun with it after all.** _

_Yes it does, but she does have a conscience about it._

_But exactly how far does that go._

_You know we don't have the answers. After all we're just.._

_Constructs of my mind. I know. I'm gonna get out of here before something happens._

_Good idea._

**_Well it looks like it all worked out in the end..._ **

I hear some banging and a slam. I pull out my handgun and rush outside, seeing something move past the side of the house. I follow it and see Max being shoved into a the car that dropped off Sean.

_Nathan!_

I rush towards the car but it is already flying down the road. At the last moment I dive for the shadows, electing to not be seen.

_They took her. They took Max..._

\------------------

I am running as hard as I can through the woods, trying to navigate as best I can with my limited knowledge. I run back to Max's grandmother's house. From there, I make my way to the Prescott mansion.

_If something is going to happen, it is probably going down there._

I stick close to the roads, while maintaining my cover. I can feel the sweat on my brow and the fire in my lungs.

_I'm not letting anything happen to Max. I can't let anything to Max. I need to save Max..._

I eventually find myself at the Prescott mansion, seeing the car parked outside the garage.

_Max's diagram showed that there are only 2 guards outside and 3 that follow around Nathan and Sean. They're all probably here so we have to..._

**_Kill them all, make them hurt._ **

_We both know that..._

_I'm killing them all._

Silence followed within her mind and she took a deep breath, drawing her pistol and sneaking along the ridge line to the front guard station. There was a guard sleeping and another opposite him, drinking some coffee. I moved past the sleeping guard and rushed the guard drinking his coffee. Before he could reach for his gun or the alarm my knife was in his chest. He sank to his knees and I yanked out the knife, doing the same to the sleeping guard. I put my knife away and tucked my pistol into my waistline, taking the rifle and magazines from both guards. I slung a rifle around my back and the hold the other, sweeping the grounds as I make my way up to the house.

The door is open and I just walk in, looking for any sign of where they're holding Max. I suddenly hear a blood curdling scream and I run in it's direction. I find myself outside of a room. The door is locked so I run full tilt into the door and it cracks down the middle, splitting away from the frame. I hold the rifle close to my shoulder and fire into the guards without having to aim. I see a man rise a draw his gun, I aim and put a shot between his eyes. Nathan raises a knife above Max, who is tied to a chair. The knife has blood on it and Max isn't moving. I rush towards him and whack his head with the butt of the rifle. He falls down to the floor and I stomp on his hand, taking the knife. I stab and slash at him, until he stops moving. I plunge the knife into his chest and stand up, turning my attention to Max. I take the bag off her head and use it to wipe the blood from my hands and lower arms. I undo her restraints and look at her. I check her body for injuries but there are none.

_Where did the blood on his knife come from...?_

I hold her to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"M-maybe..." I look at her and she is in bad shape. Bruised, burned, and mostly out of it.

I take the rifle off of my back and bend down a little. "hold onto me and don't let go." Max wraps her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist. I begin to run out of the house and keep the rifle scanning the area as I run I see a girl out of the corner of my eyes. She is bound and gagged. I rush over to see if she has a pulse. She does. I take my knife and cut her restraints. I throw the rifle to the side and pick her up, running out of the house. I make it to the woods as a shot rings out and I can feel a _WOOSH_ right next to my head. I feel Max's head burry into my neck and I start weaving between the trees, branches smacking against my chest and my legs, even into the top of my head, but I keep going.

\-------------------

The sun set long before I got to Max's house and the moon is high in the sky. I move into the backyard and gently set the girl down on the lawn and I tap Max's thigh. "I need the key." She fishes around in her pocket and then hands me a set keys. I use them to open the door and I pick the mystery girl up again, bringing her inside.

"Where the hell have you been, I've been worried...Oh my goodness! Bring them over here." Max's grandmother quickly clears off the coffee table and I place down the mystery girl. I slowly set Max down in a chair that her grandmother brings over.

I turn to her and take a deep breath. "You help Max, I'll look after her." I nod towards the girl on the coffee table and get a nod from Max's grandmother. I kneel down and take her pulse again, still alive. I check her for wounds and don't find any bad cuts or gashes. I do see burns and some scrapes, but nothing bad. I look over to Max. She is breathing fine and is just waiting for her Grandmother to return with the first aid kit. "Max, do you know this girl?"

"Y-yes. That...her name is Kate. She's a friend of mine." Max's grandmother returns with the first aid kit. I take the hydrogen peroxide and disinfect Kate's wounds. After a little while Both Max and Kate are taken care of an I take a sigh of relief. I look over at Max but she is glaring at me with a death stare. "It's your fault. You fucked up and look what you've done." Her voice is cold with an edge to it, as well as lifeless.

_My fault...What's going on?_

"W-what do you mean, baby?"

"DON'T you _dare_ call me that you fucking scum." I just stare at her, frozen with shock and fear flowing through my body. "You aren't even fit to say my name." Max pulls out a gun and points it at me.

_**I told you that you should have killed her...** _

_We were fine! I didn't know that she'd get taken..._

"Why..." It's all I can croak out but it conveys both my fear and betrayal.

_Did she just...flinch?_

"My mission from the start was to kill you. I had to get close and take you out. This was going to be your last job, one way or another. But seeing as how you got my friend dragged into this and me captured, I will take great pleasure in putting you down." I look at the ground and I feel a tear drip down my face. "What is it you fucking baby? Is wittle Chloe scared? Or did you actually think I loved you?!" Max cocks the slide on her gun and I look at her. "I told you I read your file. You're a fucking pathetic excuse for a human. You act like a damn animal and waste the same air that I breath. I could never love you..."

I feel everything inside me break and I close my eyes tight, which is soon followed by the gunshot.


	6. ...can cost us dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter written shortly after the last one was published, but I wanted to leave some suspense. Plus I needed to get on an upload schedule for the sake of my own sanity. So, here ya go.
> 
> Enjoy.

I hear a thud and then a sob, followed by another thud. I feel something gripping my shoulders tight and something else hits my chest, which starts to feel moist. I slowly open my eyes to see Max's grandmother, lying on the floor, not moving. I look down to see a shaking mass of brown hair pressed against my chest. "Chloe... Chloe I'm so sorry..."

_Max..._

Her voice is broken and shaky. I feel everything inside me begin to re-break as she sobs uncontrollably. I rub her back and whisper in her hear. "Someone will have heard the shots. We need to gather our things and leave, now."

Max gets up and runs upstairs, rushing back with a bag. She throws the first aid kit inside and throws in all of our things. Max also grabs a few valuable looking things and runs out to the backyard. I pickup Kate and we rush out the back door. Max takes a rock and shatters the back door window, leaving it ajar. We rush off into the woods and then follow the road leading out of town, just inside the tree line. "I'm sorry, Chloe." Max's voice is only a whisper, but it contains that same pain that I've been feeling in my heart.

"Was that all just made up, or is that how you really feel?" I shoot her a glance and see that must have hit home pretty hard.

"I love you, Chlo. I really do. My mission was to take you out, but it wasn't an official one. It was given by the woman that I've been referring to as my grandmother. She tasked me with taking you out but my main mission (and the only one that I was going to go through with) was to help you finish yours. I was going to say you were killed by Prescott's guards and leave it at that. But with me getting hurt and you finding Kate, I couldn't do that."

_So she really is on my side..._

"So the whole thing about you hating me was..."

"It was me trying to set the scene so I could take her out without her thinking that I cared about you. She would have shot you herself if she knew that we actually did get close."

"Speaking of which, was it your plan to go out with me?"

"No." Max's voice looses it's earlier sad and bitter quality, instead becoming light and happy. "That was just an amazing thing that happened to us. I hope that you would still want to be with me." And just as fast as she'd become happy, some insecurity leaked into her voice.

I stop and turn around, looking at Max in the dim moon light. "I still love you and I want you to be okay. I quite happily will be with you if you want me."

"I do." Max leans over and kisses my cheek.

"Hey, what are we going to do about the whole dead person thing. I noticed that you covered our track (nice touch by the way) but what will we tell the bosses?"

"Well," Max sighs and starts walking again. I follow and wait for her to continue. "We tell them that she turned against you and wanted me to kill you. I have to paperwork for it."

"You mean she made paperwork for an under the table betrayal?"

"Yep, she is by the book. As long as we're talking about the book of asshole." I can hear her chuckle bitterly. "I mean, the woman couldn't have been more of an asshole if they put her in a movie and made her eat an apple..."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, you know how whenever there is an asshole in a movie, they usually at some point eat something (usually an apple) while they're monologuing or watching someone die or something."

"Never noticed. I'll look out for that next time I watch a movie." I think for a moment and realize something. "Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I watched a movie."

"We should fix that. We could have a proper first date."

"Hey, if you're gonna try and woo me you should at least buy me dinner."

"Oh please, on my salary I can't buy myself dinner." I look over at her and raise my eyebrows. "Really? What do you get paid?!"

"I get about $50 a job. What about you?"

"I depends, but I usually get the triple digits. I do get some higher priority people at times and they throw on an extra zero to the paycheck, but that's not the usual. I get other money from different odd jobs that Frank picks up."

"Oh, well then..."

_Ah shit. I just told her I make WAY more money than her. Great job dumbass..._

"Max..."

"We're here." I look past her and see Frank's RV parked at the rest stop on the other side of the road. We look both ways and cross the street. Max puts her bag down and bangs on the door.

A few moments later the door opens a crack and I can see Frank's little trench periscope poking out through the crack. It disappears and I can hear hit undo the chain lock and the door opens. "Chloe, I knew that you were going to bring home dinner but I didn't think we'd be resorting to this."

"We're not eating her you dumbass! Max got captured and when I went to break her out we found her tied to a chair."

"Wait a minute, is that...Kate?"

"Yes. Now if you wouldn't mind I've carried her for hours and I'd like to set her down." Frank nods and steps aside, letting us in and locking the door behind us. "By the way you might wanna get driving, pretty soon the cops will be out if they aren't already."

"Great." Frank gets in the driver seat and starts driving down the road. "If you don't mind me asking, what'd you two do that is gonna draw the cops out?"

I set Kate down in the bench seat with a table in front of it. Max sits next to her and I sit on the outside. "I shot my grandmother and staged a break in."

Frank glances back a few times to see if Max is serious and then he focuses on the road. "Well shit..."

"She wanted Max to kill me. We had to get out of there and Max did what she had to do."

"I see." Frank thinks for a moment and takes a deep breath. "What about the targets, are they...dealt with?"

"Well I think the clean up crew from the police department will need new mops after they get done removing the bodies, so yeah. I'd call that dealt with."

"Good job guys. I knew you two could get the job done."

"Yeah." I look over at Max and smile. I reach over and hold her hand, making her smile. "I hated it at first, but I think you were right, Frank. The two of us make a great team."

\-----------------

After about half an hour on the road I begin to let my mind wander.

_I've just completed a mission, gained a partner (both professional and in my love life), and I've helped Frank get revenge for Rachel. It's been an interesting few days._

_We've done something good. You should be happy._

_I am, it's just that.._

**_We should have had more FUN!_ **

_We had your fun. And we did our job. We'll get the money and a well deserved break._

**_No break, we can't let her just stop everything because she fell for a pretty girl. She has to keep doing what makes her feel alive..._ **

_Both of you have a point. I can't just give up work because of this relationship that I have now, but I can't just keep going and going. I'd just put myself in the danger of being caught._

**_You're just weak. In the past you'd never play it scarce, just harder to get!_ **

_But I've done that for so long that I don't think covering my tracks more will help me._

_You can only do so much before karma comes after you. Count your blessings and don't tempt fate. Take a break._

**_Keep it up. You know it's the only thing that makes you feel alive!_ **

_You're wrong. She does..._

"Chloe?"

"Hmm?" I snap back to reality and see that Frank has pulled back over and he has an atlas out. I let go of Max's hand and pay attention.

"I was thinking, we should travel some."

"Well we live out of a fucking RV so yeah, that'd be a good use of our resources."

"Can it smart ass." Frank smiles and shakes his head. "I was thinking that we could go out to Nebraska."

"Really now? why Nebraska." I look as he sets the atlas down and points to a city.

"Because this is where your car is."

"What now?"

"I kind of lent out your car to someone."

"You lent out. The car. That I use for _WORK._ To someone." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "I'll bite Frank, fucking why."

"Because it was a business move. Our friend Kate here has a friend named Victoria. She came by and needed some wheels to do a job. I made a call and checked her out, she's legit. It seems that she and Kate work together and she was trying to follow a lead to get a hold of Kate, who'd gone off the grid a little while back. We agreed to meet in this town when she was done. According to my calculations we have about 4 days to get there before she does."

"Why do we need to get there first?" Max questions, looking over at Kate and checking her pulse.

"Well, I don't know what kind of shape she'll be in and she might even need a little help. If she is in bad shape and can't stay cause she's raised too much attention, we can't risk missing her."

"Do you know where she's operating?"

"Yep, she's working a few towns over, somewhere around here." Frank points to an area in the middle of nowhere and tilts the atlas for Max to see. "We go to the meet up point, and then if she's not there, we send out someone with a radio and binoculars," Frank looks at me and I nod, "to get her position. Then we would move in for extraction. She's there for Kate and seeing as we have Kate right here, there's no need to let Victoria wander around Nebraska trying to figure out where she is."

"Well it's settled then." I sigh and look at the atlas. "off to Papillion, Nebraska."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! I'm posting earlier than I was going to. I was going to post Fridays but I changed my mind.
> 
> I've decided that Monday will be my upload day. I'll be posting every Monday and I might post multiple chapters if I'll be offline for a while (one chapter for each Monday I'd plan on missing).
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to give feed back in the comments.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	7. When in Rome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story requires a special mood to write. It's not easy to get into. I should have updated sooner but I just got stonewalled. I hope you guys like this.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Max rubs her eyes a little and yawns. "I mean, we're here. We are shifting our location from time to time, we are not going out and interacting with people, and no one has become suspicious of us."

I glance over at her and sigh. "I just feel uneasy, okay?" I sigh and check Kate's pulse again. "I have my reasons..."

_ **Northern California (3 years earlier):** _

I look into the cold, dead eyes of my companion. We are slowly eating our meal. I look at the wallet again. _Samantha Johnson._

_**She should have realaxed more. There isn't nearly enough fat on her. it's all chewy muscle.** _

_I like muscle..._

**_Well some of us have more, refined tastes..._ **

_And some of us are real..._

I exhale through my nose and slip the wallet back into my pocket. "Why do you keep the wallet again?"

"I've told you John, I could pass for her. I can use her credit card and buy us supplies." I point to the bills in front of him. "That's your share."

"Well everything I have is what's keeping us afloat here."

"True..." He sighs and finishes wrapping the woman's liver, setting it in the cooler. "I think we should upgrade from the tent, it's gonna be getting cold soon."

"I know." I look up at the night evening sky and sigh, leaning closer to the campfire and taking another piece of meat. "We'll get there sometime."

There is a silence between John and I. He looks at me for a moment and his eyes narrow. "You know, I've been thinking about going out on my own."

"Where would you go?" I look back, hurt slipping into my voice.

"Nebraska. I have a few old acquaintances down there that would let me couch surf and wouldn't ask many questions." He finishes wiping his hands off with the wipes we bought a few days ago. "I have some friends down near Papillion."

"Oh..." I look down at me feet and frown.

"Chloe." He leans over and pats my shoulder. "You know you'd always be welcome to stop in. We could have a few bites to eat and have a little fun."

"I'd like that." I smile and look back at him. "Well, it'll be getting dark soon. We should put out the fire and clean up. That hole won't dig itself."

"Yeah. Samantha is starting to smell anyways." John gets up and walks back to the tent we have pitched for the night. "I'll get the shovel."

\------------------------

"Chloe." I blink and feel Max shaking me hard.

"Yeah?" I look at her and put on a smile. "What is it?" She eyes me suspiciously and I can feel my smile waver under her look.

"What happened? You were just, out of it..." Max rubs my shoulder and takes my hand in her own.

"Well, remember how I told you I used to be... a cannibal..." My disgust is clear both on my face and in the bitter tone of my voice. Max nods slowly and I take a deep breath. "Well, I used to have a partner and only one voice in my head. I would have the 'fun' by finding who would be dinner and then he would play master chef. I kept us afloat financially, which basically means I took pocket change and credit cards to buy us blankets and the occasional Laundromat visit. Eventually he left to work on his own. He was from Nebraska and he was going to come back here." I sigh and look over at Kate, who has yet to wake up. "He has friends in Papillion..." Max nods and she looks over at Kate too.

"We'll be okay. You hear me?" Max holds my face and turns my head so I'm facing her. I look into her eyes and see deep determination. "We will be okay..."

"Only as long as I have you..." I hold onto her and she has a small smile.

"Well you have me right here, by your side, where I belong." She kisses me and I sigh, closing my eyes.

I hear groaning and I pull back, reaching for the handgun I keep tucked into my belt. I turn towards the noise and see Kate, her head rolling from side to side. I let go of Max and we both kneel next to her. "Kate, Kate, it's okay. You're safe now." Kate's eyes slowly open and she looks over at us. She tries to say something but all that comes out is a horse croak. "hold on." Max gets a water bottle and undoes the cap, helping Kate drink it. "Slow sips, slow sips. That's it."

Kate takes a deep breath and looks over at the rest of the RV. "w-where..."

"You're in Frank's RV. We rescued you and brought you here. We're in Nebraska right now, trying to get ahold of Victoria." Max takes Kate's hand gently and sighs. "The story is a little longer but that's the quick version."

Kate takes her hand and moves it down to her pocket, slowly reaching inside and pulling out a small, black object. A flip phone. She holds it out and I reach for it. Kate stiffens and closes her hand tighter, her eyes narrow. "w-who-o-o..."

I look back at her and let my hand float in the air. "I'm Max's partner. I rescued you two from the Prescotts and I was the one who helped get you here." Kate looks over to Max for confirmation. Max squeezes Kate's hand and nods. Kate nods back weakly and relaxes. She opens her hand back up and I take the phone, opening it up.

"De....D-dementia...." I look over at Kate with a raised eyebrow and then open up her phone's contacts, seeing various names for the contacts: Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Alzheimers, Anxiety, and Dementia. I open up Dementia and click 'message', handing the phone to Kate. She begins shaking and I hold the phone steady for her. I watch her type.

**Safe. Need u. Reply asap**

She hits send and I let go of her hand. She slowly closes the phone and lets her hand fall to her chest. She closes her eyes and exhales unevenly. "More...water.." Max helps her drink some more and then Kate opens her eyes, grunting and pushing the water bottle up a bit. She gulps and takes a deep breath. "Let me hear...the whole...story."

Max sighs and looks over at me. "You first babe." I nod and look over at Kate, who is raising an eyebrow and looking at us with a small grin.

"Well, it all started when I was born..." Kate smiles wider and shakes her head. "Okay, okay. Well, I ended up getting a contract with Max as my partner...."

\----------------

Max and I take turns retelling the tale of how we hunted the Prescotts, fell in love, and how I ended up rescuing the other two. Kate follows along, staying motionless except for her chest moving and her facial expressions. She nods a few times when we finish and sighs. "Leave it to Vic...to travel across the country. All for little old me." She grins and tries to sit up. "FUCK!" She falls back and grits her teeth.

"Hold on." I uncross my legs and stand up and pick her up, taking her over to the bench seat next to the table and setting her down.

"Thanks Chloe."

"No problem." I sit down next to Kate and Max sits next to me. "Do you think Victoria will answer the text soon?"

Max pulls out the phone and checks it. "She already has. Don't think we'll have to wait long." Max shows us the screen and I smile.

**Frank found me and we're on our way. See you soon, baby.**

Kate sighs and smiles, looking over at us. There is a knock on the door and Max scoots out, pulling out her handgun. I give mine to Kate and pullout my knife. I sneak over and hide behind the door, quietly undoing the locks as I go. I raise the knife and yank the door open, Kate lays the gun down on the table and Max grins, putting her handgun back in it's holders. "Coast is clear." I step out from behind the door and slip the knife back into it's sheath. A blond woman with very short hair pops out from behind Frank. She is wearing a bulletproof vest and she has an eye patch over her left eye. She is wearing a short sleeve, black shirt and she has leather gloves. She is also wearing blue jeans and tan combat boots. Her hand moves away from the revolver on her hip and she moves into the RV, looking around and finding Kate, who had managed to stand up, with help from Max.

The woman rushes over and takes Kate into her arms, holding her close. Kate wraps her arms around the woman's shoulders and sighs. "Hey Vic..."

Victoria sobs softly and sniffles. "Hey Katie..."

I smile at them and feel a hand on my shoulder. Frank has a backpack and a duffel back that are packed full. I look at him and raise an eyebrow. He puts down the duffel and closes the door behind him, locking it and moving back to the sleeping area. Max follows him as do I. He puts both bags on the bed and opens them. The duffel is full of food and a plastic bag. Frank takes it out and we see that it is full of ammo. Frank opens up the backpack and looks over to me. "We got food for a month, ammo for quite a while, some spare clothes, a couple of video games, and even a few books."

"Hella cool." I nod and grin wide. I look back to see Victoria and Kate, holding each other gently and staring into each other's eyes. "We have the love birds, now what do we do?"

"We get out of here, fast. I pissed off someone I probably shouldn't have." Victoria kisses Kate gently and looks over at us. "We're gonna burn up that ammo if we don't get on the road. John is no joke."

_**Ahhh, You're friend is back in the picture. Imagine the fun you could have!** _

_You left that life behind..._

**_It's like riding a bike, except you always have more fun when you come back to it, you know this..._ **

_You have to fight it, you can't just go back to that! You can't be friends with them and go back to your old ways too..._

"Shut up!" I look over at Victoria and notice that everyone has stiffened up except for Max. I sigh and shake my head. "John who?"

Victoria raises and eyebrow and narrows her eyes at me. "Jacobs."

"Well fucking shit..." I sigh and rub my forehead. A hand gently squeezes my shoulder.

"You know him?" Max keeps her voice soft and even.

I rub my face and peak out the curtain to see if anyone is near the trailer. "Yeah. I used to travel with John when he was starting out. I taught him most of what I knew and he taught me some of his tricks..."

Victoria's face goes pale and she holds Kate closer. Her hand hovers over the handle of her revolver and she stares daggers at me. "Is that so...?"

I smirk and nod. "Yep. It's good to see that my past still intimidates a few people." Victoria slowly draws her revolver, cocking the hammer and keeping it pointed at the floor. Max goes to draw her own handgun, but I grab onto her wrist. She looks up at me and sighs, letting her hands fall to her side. I look back to Victoria and frown. "But that's what it is, my past. I haven't lived that life for quite some time..."

"I don't care what you are, it's what've you done to my life." Victoria grinds her teeth together and I take a step forward. She raises her revolver and closes one eye.

I back up and hold my hands in the air. "What did I do...?"

Victoria speaks through her grit teeth. "You killed my best friend."

Her finger slips into the trigger guard and she pressed against the trigger. "What was their name?"

"Allen. His name was Allen White." Victoria's hand shakes and I slowly take a step back.

"When did he die?" I step back again and feel the bedframe pressed into my back.

"Two years ago, in early November. John told me how you cut him up and ate his flesh..." Max looks between us desperately.

"Victoria, I didn't kill him..."

"You're lying! You killed him in an ally way in the middle of Portland."

"Victoria." Frank takes a step closer. "Chloe was working with me during that time. We were all the way in Idaho when that happened."

Victoria's hand shakes more and Kate reaches up, grabbing her elbow. Victoria looks down at Kate and points her revolver at the floor again. She hold onto the hammer and lets move down slowly, putting in back in her holster. "I..." She sighs and sobs. Kate pulls head down onto her shoulder and rubs her back. I put my hands down and take a deep breath. Max pulls me into a hug and Frank runs a hand through his hair. After a moment, Victoria sighs and pulls back, looking over at Max. "Do you trust Chloe?"

Max nods slowly. "Absolutely."

Victoria sighs, looking at me. "Sorry, I just... I get a bit worked up about it."

"I get it." I rub the back of my neck and take a deep breath. "We should get on the road, but there's no hard feelings."

I look over at Frank and he nods, zipping up the bags and putting them on the floor. "Alright folks, we're headed off the Michigan. I have a date with my fishing poll down at the great lakes." Frank smiles as he head up to the driver's seat. Kate and Victoria sit on the bench seat and Max sits across the table from them in a chair. Frank sighs and I look over at him. "We've got company."

"Nobody move." I look forward and walk over to Frank. "Where."

"Over there." He points at a lone figure standing under a tree. The figure steps out and I feel my breath hitch.

"John..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I feel horrible for not updating this sooner. Please feel free to comment here or send me feedback and requests to my email: Fandoms_R_Fun@mail.com
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking a look at a different writing idea. I love murder mystery books and I'm also into books such as "I hunt serial killers". I will gladly accept CONSTRUCTIVE criticism from people and I hope that you will join me next time around. Until then, read on.


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